The Best (and Worst) March Madness Moments in WVU History

March Madness is a fun time of year. It's full of upsets, buzzer beaters, someone you've never heard of becoming the story for an unexpected run, and a lot of drama. West Virginia may not be participating in this year's NCAA Tournament, but it's still fun to look back at all of the good moments they've had. And yes, we'll relive some of the worst as well.

Before I get started, let me note that this will be solely based on tournament appearances this century. I wasn't around for much of the 90s, so it would be unfair for me to judge those tournaments or even recall them.

The Good Moments

No. 5: Beating Bobby Knight (2005)

Anytime you beat one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, it's something that will stick with you forever, especially when it came in the NCAA Tournament. Texas Tech guard Jarrius Jackson had a shot blocked by Tyrone Sally that would have tied up the game with 57 seconds left. Then, forward Daryl Dora missed a wide-open layup a few seconds later, and WVU was able to hold on to win.

No. 4: Nail-biter vs. Creighton (2005)

You're going to notice a theme here. Sorry, that 2005 run was a lot of fun to witness, and it all started against the Bluejays in what was a dramatic finish. Kevin Pittsnogle corralled the ball near the basket after a partially blocked three-point attempt by Creighton, pushed it up the floor to Mike Gansey, who passed ahead to Tyrone Sally, who threw down a two-handed dunk to take the lead with two seconds left. Nate Funk heaved up a three at the buzzer and missed, giving WVU the win.

No. 3: Down goes Duke! (2008)

Much like beating Bob Knight, beating Coach K and Duke meant something special. When it happened, you were the story of the day in college hoops. The Blue Devils were the No. 2 seed in that region and had five future NBA players on the roster — Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, DeMarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, and Lance Thomas. Also, current Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was on that team. WVU trailed that one at the half but dominated the second half, winning by six.

No. 2: Upsetting Chris Paul, Wake Forest (2005)

The upset no one saw coming. Chris Paul was one of the nation's best players and had Wake on a roll. As well as he played, the player whose name many diehard Mountaineer fans will remember is Taron Downey, who led the Demon Deacons that day with 27 points, constantly hitting big shot after big shot, six of which were from three. WVU had chances to win in regulation and in the first overtime period, but a corner three from Pittsnogle was what helped seal the deal in the second overtime.

No. 1: Back to the Final Four (2010)

There just can't possibly be any other option. For the first time in 51 years, the Mountaineers found themselves playing in the Final Four thanks to their incredible win over No. 1 seed and star-studded Kentucky. That Wildcats team had EIGHT NBA players on it. Eight! John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins, Darius Miller, and Josh Harrellson. When you stack the two rosters side by side, it makes no sense how WVU won that game, but boy, did they outplay them.

The Worst Moments

No. 5: Smacked by Kentucky (2015)

The Mountaineers have had some ugly offensive performances over the years, but my goodness, this one was an eyesore. They shot a stunning 24% (you read that correctly) from the field, 13% from three, and 57% from the free-throw line, ending with a measly 39 points.

No. 4: Upset by the Lumberjacks (2016)

Bob Huggins warned his team that if they didn't play with urgency, this could happen, and sure enough, they found out the hard way. They had no answers for Thomas Walkup, who poured in 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals, going 19/20 from the line. That team could have made a deep run if they had avoided this loss.

No. 3: Failed play in the Sweet 16 vs. Gonzaga (2017)

WVU led the Zags with one minute to play, but gave up a corner three to lose the lead. Jevon Carter was swarmed on the perimeter at the end of the game and missed two threes badly, but got the ball back a third time, passed it to Daxter Miles Jr. with one second left, who was extremely deep and couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer. A made three would have tied it.

No. 2: Falling short of Final Four (2005)

WVU led by four with over a minute left and had the ball with less than 10 seconds left when it was tied in regulation to win it. J.D. Collins had his midrange shot blocked in the lane, and Louisville missed a floater on the other end at the buzzer. They were outscored 16-8 in the overtime frame, falling shy of the Final Four.

No. 1: Da'Sean Butler goes down (2010)

Just like the top best moment was obvious, I would assume this is where most people thought this loss would be. WVU was likely on its way to losing to Duke in the Final Four, but there was still hope that it could mount a comeback, albeit very little. When Da'Sean Butler injured his knee and went to the ground, you knew it was over for the Mountaineers. Huggs going out and hugging Butler on the ground and holding his face telling him he loved him, is one of the most emotional moments in March Madness history. It's a game and an injury no West Virginia fan will ever forget.